Below is a list of common problems for oriental carpets and rugs, together with some helpful hints to minimise their damaging effects: 
Rug Maintenance:
It is ok to vacuum a rug, but it will last longer if you vacuum it in the direction of the pile; For antique rugs, we recommend a gentle sweep. 

Looking out for moths
Moths and their larvae thrive in the dark, isolated areas with damp and fluff. Keep checking the shaded areas, particularly under furniture. Flying moths, bare spots in the pile and small cocoons are all signals of moth infestation.
 
Resolution hints: Damage from moth larvae and other household rug-eating pests can be avoided as long as the rug is cleaned regularly by brushing or 
vacuuming and then exposing to light and fresh air. Your rug should not be hidden away in damp or dark conditions for a long time. 
A rug with a moth infestation is not difficult to clean if caught early, but re-weaving a large area of the rug is an expensive job if the damage is severe. 
If moth grubs are discovered, vacuum the front and back thouroughly, use a recommended rug friendly moth spray to finish off and have it professionally washed ASAP.
 
Rugs with colour run or bleeding dyes
Colour run usually happens when a hot drink (like tea or coffee) spills on your rug, immersing your rug in hot water, cleaning your rug by modern high temperature cleaning methods or detergents produced for use on synthetic fibres, not soft wools. 
Should you spill any fluid on your rug, try not to rub across colours. This can cause dyes to bleed and run into one another. Just try to soak up the liquid
with a white dry cloth. If it leaves any stain, consult a professional person.
 
Dealing with stains:
If any spillage or accident involving liquids happens, immediately blot with  kitchen towels, white cloth or white kitchen paper soaking up the liquid until it dries. Avoid spreading the liquids around.
For any spillage involving food etc. scrape up the solids with a spoon and then blot up the damp residue with white kitchen towels.  
With wool rugs, if any stain is left, a solution of carpet shampoo and warm water with a teaspoonful of white vinegar can possibly help to remove the stain. 
Carefully blot with a damp cloth which has been soaked and well squeezed out.  Avoid spreading the stain and dry it as quickly as possible. 
Carefully comb the pile in its natural direction to remove any matting. 
If your silk rug becomes damaged contact your rug-dealer immediately!
Do not be tempted to throw on anything like salt/soap powder, washing liquids etc on it.

A stain we removed

Rugs subject to pet damage
Pets can cause serious damage to oriental rugs from soiled areas to chewed or clawed fringes or borders.
We provide a full restoration service for all pet damage.

An example of pet damage that we can fix

Quick Wash
In general, hand knotted wool rugs need a full wash once every few years depending on traffic. Often, the fringes may show a bit of dirt;
this can be cleaned without the entire rug being washed. 
However, to renew the appearance of your handmade carpet, you can give it a quick "face wash". 
The first step before washing your rug is to to dust it, To do that, find an area suitable for dusting.Hang the rug or lift one corner at a time, use a broom handle or wooden stick to beat the rug repeatedly from the back and front; Doing this should remove the majority of the deepest dust particles. The shakes/beatings should be gentler with older/aged rug as they may tear. Once you've removed as much dust as possible vacuum the rug thoroughly on both sides. 
Next you need to test the rug for colour bleeding before the whole rug is tackled. We highly recommend  spot-testing the cleaning products as many over-the-counter products may strip the rug of its natural colour.  
We recommand herbal carpet shampoos and wool-safe shampoo. 
Mix the shampoo to instructions ( if you are worried about colour run or damage, sometimes it is better to half the measurement) in a large bowl of warm tap water. whisk the solution until plenty of bubbles are produced. With a sponge or white cloth collect some foam and clean a small patch by gently rubbing the rug surface with the sponge in the direction of the pile (rub your hand across the surface of the rug to find out the direction of the pile which should feel resistance).  Note that the rug should barely be wet as we are mainly using foam. 
If the dye on your rug starts to run then stop immediately. otherwise, wait for about 20 minutes and if you're happy with the result, carry on the process with the remaining stain, if you run out of foam make more following the same procedure and measurements mentioned above.   
Finally rinse the entire patch using clean water, and then dry it with a big sponge as much as possible. 
 
Note: we recommend you do not clean the fringes by yourself as bleaching can damage the materials.
 
Warning: 
To clean a silk rug, we suggest you let a professional person do the cleaning; otherwise you could potentially damage it; It might be ok for a rug with little silk details.
A rug made of viscose reyon (a meterial used as fake silk) will run colours all over the place and be completely ruined. 
Stop dusting/de-soiling the rug if you hear cracking or tearing noises from the rug whilst beating or shaking it.
   
Avoid  cleaning a silk, antique or fragile rug yourself.

Professional rug washing

Avoid cleaning large rugs because of their size you may risk a back injury and it could be too hard to dry fast enough without the right equipment.
 
 
Storage 
The best way to store rugs is to roll them (width) up tightly, starting the roll from the side that is opposite the direction of the pile. 
Store it in a dry place preferrably in daylight and in with good air circulation. Occassionally, take it out, unroll it and vacuum both back and front.

Some examples of damage we will fix:

Worn edges


Wear and tear


Pet damage


Rips


Holes